Laurent Attal, currently President and CEO of L’Oréal USA named Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Research and Innovation at L’Oréal

Frédéric Rozé succeeds Laurent Attal as President and CEO of L’Oréal USA

L’Oréal today announced the retirement, at the end of 2009, of Jean-François Grollier, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Research and Development. He is replaced by Dr. Laurent Attal, who takes on the role of Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Research and Innovation.

Jean-François Grollier began an exceptional career at L’Oréal forty years ago as a young chemical engineer. In 1991, he became the company’s first head of both Advanced & Applied Research and Development. This role enabled him to open up entirely new avenues of research. Convinced that Beauty is above all an area of expertise in the field of life sciences, Jean-François Grollier opened up the research function - at the time exclusively focused on chemistry - to include biology and life sciences, thus anticipating some of the cosmetic industry’s most significant revolutions.

Jean-François Grollier played a key role in supporting the group’s universal vision of Beauty. He created worldwide laboratories and evaluation centres that allowed the company to take into account ethnic specificities and thus address the needs of its consumers throughout the world.

Thanks to his visionary approach, Jean-François Grollier was able to develop a cutting-edge intelligence system for monitoring technological evolutions, therefore, ensuring product safety. He constantly inspired his teams with the need to be one step ahead of ever-evolving regulatory norms relating to consumer protection and sustainable development. Through his talent and experience L’Oréal has been able to give rise to a number of significant technological breakthroughs that have become milestones in the history of the group.

Jean François Grollier’s most far-sighted initiative will no doubt remain his commitment to the development of reconstructed skin; the alternative method which will play a decisive role in the future of cosmetics.

At 51, Laurent Attal, in his new role as head of Research and Innovation, will oversee the largest research laboratories in the cosmetics industry worldwide today. At the end of 2009, he will take charge of all teams from both the current Research and Development function as well as the Innovation department. This will ensure the company’s continued leadership in both areas, with the promise of great achievements in the years to come.

Laurent Attal, who trained as a Doctor and has an MBA from INSEAD (Paris, France), joined L’Oréal in 1986. After having directed Vichy and boosted its development, Laurent Attal was given full responsibility for the Active Cosmetics Division where he redefined the brand portfolio, accelerating its internationalization, ultimately leading to worldwide success for the Active Cosmetics Division.

President and CEO of L’Oréal USA for the past four years, responsible for North America and a member of the Group Executive Committee, Laurent Attal was instrumental in the pursuit of several major successes in the region, including the launch of Garnier skincare; a number of highly strategic acquisitions, notably in the Professional Products Division; and establishing a promising start for the Active Cosmetics Division.

Frédéric Rozé will succeed Laurent Attal on July 1, 2009 as President and CEO of L’Oréal USA. In this capacity he will become a member of the Group Executive Committee.

Frédéric Rozé, 47, joined L’Oréal in 1986. He quickly became Managing Director of the Consumer Products Division of L’Oréal Russia before being appointed General Manager of Gemey France in 1996. As Managing Director of L’Oréal Argentina, which at the time was suffering from a major economic crisis, he did an outstanding job in securing the recovery of the subsidiary, all the while gaining greater knowledge of the Group’s different divisions. In 2002, he was appointed head of the Consumer Products Division and Professional Products Division in Spain, one of the group’s largest markets. There, he enabled L’Oréal to boost its growth by gaining market share in a great number of categories.

After being named Consumer Products Division Director for Western Europe in 2004, Frédéric Rozé’s functions were subsequently extended to cover the entire Europe region where he further strengthened the company’s positions.